


In the Shadow of the Beast

by southsidewrites



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Mythology, But Mostly Sea Monsters, Eventual Romance, F/M, Inspired by Perseus and Andromeda, Sea Monsters, Some Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:26:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22406416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsidewrites/pseuds/southsidewrites
Summary: Caught on the water in the middle of a ferocious storm, Fangs Fogarty doesn't think his day can get any worse. Then, he finds the most beautiful woman he's ever seen chained to a rock and left to die, and he comes face to face with a monster he never imagined could be real.Based on the Greek myth of Perseus and Andromeda.
Relationships: Fangs Fogarty/Midge Klump
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4
Collections: A Very Merry Serpent Hissmas





	In the Shadow of the Beast

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FrostedGemstones22](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostedGemstones22/gifts).



> Thanks so much for checking this out! This fic is written for @frostedgemstones22 for the Southside Secret Santa fic exchange. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Special thanks to @rivendell101 for being an amazing beta and @sweetfogarty for letting me borrow this AU idea.

Midge woke with a scream, a roughly-gloved hand quickly covering her mouth. Someone was ripping her blankets off her, yanking her out of the bed.

“Shut up,” a man muttered, forcefully securing her hands behind her back.

She sobbed into his hand, nearly choking when he pulled it away and replaced it with a cloth gag. The gag was tied so tightly that it bit into her skin. A dark hood was thrust onto her head. Realizing what was happening, Midge started thrashing. She kicked blindly, fighting hard against the restraints around her wrists.

The man was stronger, though, and he wasn’t alone. He easily lifted her off her feet, tossing the petite young woman over his shoulder as a second pair of hands bound her feet. “Coast clear?” he asked.

“Guards are all taken care of,” the other man confirmed.

Midge kept trying to wriggle free, but his grip was like iron, holding her firmly to his shoulder as he started walking. She bounced on his shoulder as he started down the stairs toward the front door.

_ He’s just going to walk right out with me. _ Midge’s thoughts raced as she redoubled her efforts to pull herself free. Her body was screaming to break free, her wrists throbbing with pain as she yanked at the bindings. She was still screaming into the gag, but the only sound coming through was a muffled sob. Tears streamed down her face, soaking the hood and making it even harder to breathe.

Then, the door opened, and she was hit with a blast of painfully cold, damp air. It reminded her that all she had on was a pathetically thin nightgown. Immediately, the painful chill made her entire body ache.

They didn’t go far before the man tossed her off his shoulder onto a cold, hard surface. Her head slammed into it with a thud, and her head spun. She was still sobbing, the sound being drowned out by the harsh wind.

The man chuckled, a low, dark sound that sent a chill straight to Midge’s bones. “Miss Blossom sends her regards.”

Midge froze, but before she could even process his words, there was a loud slam, and everything went dark.

* * *

Fangs kept a weathered eye on the horizon. He didn’t like the look of those clouds rolling in. Beneath him, the boat was beginning to rock uncomfortably, the waves gaining strength at a troubling rate—he would have to head back in soon. He bit back a sigh, watching as his breath began to fog in the increasingly chilly sea air.

_ Yup, definitely time to head back. _

Holding a line for support, Fangs maneuvered his way to the stern, breathing a sigh of relief when he finally got his hand on the rudder. The wind whipped harder, catching the sail and sending the boat careening forward.

“Fuck,” he muttered, lurching forward to grab the sheet. Sucking in a deep breath, Fangs fought to stay calm, trying not to let his burgeoning panic take over. He yanked hard on the sheet, his eyes fixed on the mainsail as it shook violently in the wind.

Suddenly, the wind shifted, yanking the sheet out of Fangs’ hand when it caught the sail. The force of the turn sent him hurtling backwards, his back slamming into the short wall in the back of the boat. He cursed louder, frantically grabbing for anything to hold onto as the boat gained more and more speed.

Rain had started to fall, forcing Fangs to squint to see through the mist churning up out of the waves. He could barely see more than a few yards past the front of the boat, his sense of direction entirely lost to the storm.

And then he saw the rocks.

He must have swung further west than he thought, back toward the rocky cliff faces that bordered the north edge of town—an area that no sailor dared to enter. Fangs had never been one to believe in superstition, but what happened in that part of the ocean was more than old sailors’ tales. Ships went down on clear days, shattered so completely that only scraps washed back onto shore. Survivors, the rare times they existed, spoke of a massive, fearsome sea monster.

Fangs wasn’t sure he believed the tales, but he sure didn’t want to find out. He sprang into action, pulling on the halyard with every last bit of strength he could muster. The sails needed to get out of the wind or he’d just keep whipping around until his boat cracked to pieces on the jagged rocks. Glancing around frantically, he tried to gauge how close he was to the rocks—how much of a chance of survival he still had.

Then, his eyes locked on something terrible out of place. A flash of pink amidst the sea of grey. For a moment, Fangs thought he was dreaming, that somewhere along the way, he had actually passed out and fallen into a deep hallucination. But she was real, though. Just a few yards away from the boat, there was a young, beautiful woman splayed out on one of the biggest rocks. She was attached with thick chains, one around each wrist and ankle, trapping her in place.

Fangs’ jaw dropped, and he immediately let go of the line. Above him, the mast snapped with a loud crack, and he jumped out of the way as it toppled onto him. He shoved the mountain of material aside, his shoes slipping on the slick wooden floor as he tried to find the woman again.

The boat had drifted closer, now, and he could see that she was alive. Her entire body shook with shuddering sobs, and she seemed to be shouting something. Fangs couldn’t hear her voice over the roar of the storm, but he knew what she wanted. She was screaming for help.

“I’m coming!” Fangs screamed, not knowing what had come over him. There was no way he could save her—he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to save himself right now. He had to try, though. He couldn’t just let the woman die out there, chained to a rock doomed to die of something horrible like drowning, freezing, starvation, or exposure. Or a sea monster.

Fangs shook the thought from his head. The sea monster was just a myth, just like the old gods. If anything was going to kill them, it was going to be this storm.

Thinking fast, Fangs slid the large knife out of his pocket, hacking off a length of rope and tying it to what remained of the mast. When he decided it looked sturdy enough, he tied the other end around his waist, praying to whatever mythical gods were listening that he wasn’t about to leap to his death.

With a deep, steadying breath, he climbed onto the side of the boat and jumped.

The water was frigidly cold, and for a moment, he thought he would go into shock. Waves roiled around him, slamming his body back and forth, narrowly avoiding rocks. Then, his instincts kicked in, and he started to swim. Having been raised on the water, Fangs had always been a strong swimmer, but nothing could prepare him for this. The rope was digging painfully into his waist, the cold water making his entire body burn and ache. He coughed and sputtered when he managed to pop out of the water, trying to get his bearings.

She had seen him, now, and she was screaming louder, pulling against her restraints with everything she had.

“Wait, I’m coming!” Fangs managed to choke out, a wave hitting him smack in the face. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”

He wrists were already bleeding, rubbed red and raw from what looked like hours of pulling. “Help me!” she screamed, her voice weak and shaky. “Please!”

Fangs swam harder, glad the current was at least sort of pulling him in the right direction. He slammed into the rock hard, the wind being ripped from his lungs as he clawed at the slick surface. Somehow, he managed to drag himself up, collapsing onto the rock next to her.

She was even more beautiful up close. Even her scared, battered state was unable to overpower her beauty. Her long, dark hair was matted to her face, and Fangs quickly brushed it away to get a better look at her. Golden-brown eyes looked back at him, bright and intense.

“You came for me,” she breathed, half-delirious. Her breathing was quick and shallow, and she seemed to be drifting out of consciousness.

“I guess I did,” Fangs mused, his voice soft. “Now, I’m going to get you out of here.” Fangs reached into his pocket, breathing a deep sigh of relief when his fingers closed around the knife. Luckily, the cuffs on her chains were easy enough to pick using the other tools on the knife. He managed to get them undone in a matter of minutes, even with his cold, shaky hands.

“Can you hold onto me?” Fangs asked, already taking her in his arms. For the briefest moment, he considered how highly inappropriate it was for him to be holding a young woman wearing nothing but a soaked-through nightgown so intimately, but that thought was wiped from his mind by a massive wave nearly washing them off the rock.

She murmured something weakly, wrapping her arms and legs around him with a surprising amount of strength.

_ Looks like she’s not ready to die yet, either.  _ Fangs suppressed a grin, and leaped back into the water.

This time, he was fighting the current with the added weight of the woman hanging on to him. He had the rope, though, and he was able to mostly pull himself back, only swimming enough to keep their heads above the rough waves. Summoning a strength, he didn’t know he had, he managed to drag them over the side of the boat, at least what was left of it.

The storm was waning slightly, the dark clouds being blown southward and giving them a second to breathe. It didn’t make Fangs feel any better. His boat was in rough shape, the mainsail completely trashed and the jib barely hanging by a thread. Even in perfect weather conditions, it would barely be seaworthy.

But he had to try.

Almost as soon as they got onto the boat, the woman had curled into the pile of ruined sails and passed out. Fangs wasn’t sure if she was hurt or just sleeping, but he didn’t have time to worry about that. He had to stay focused on getting them out of there.

He worked frantically, cutting away at the tangled rigging and doing his best to make the remaining sail semi-functional. Just as he was about to test it out, a massive wave crashed over the side of the boat, nearly knocking him off his feet and flooding the entire deck. The woman woke with a start, crying out as the cold water slammed into her.

Fangs rushed to her, crouching down to make sure that she was alright. Her eyes had gone wide, though, and she was completely transfixed on something behind him, her expression one of pure terror.

“What is it?” he asked, taking her shaking hands in his. “Are you okay.”

She shook her head and pointed behind him. “It’s the monster.”

Her words didn’t quite register to Fangs, his eyes narrowing with confusion. “What do you mean?”

All she could do was shake, a soft sob breaking from her lips as she pushed herself as tight against the wall as she could. “We’re not going to make it,” she said through her tears. “It’s too late.”

“What are you—”

His question was cut off by a ferocious roar.

Fangs heart raced, his mind going blank as he slowly stood up to turn around. Every nerve in his body was on fire as he spun, feeling the frigid salty air whip against his skin. For a moment, he couldn’t believe his eyes—there was no way what he was seeing was real.

Emerging out of the waves behind him was the most massive creature he’d ever seen.

It looked like a dragon, its massive reptilian face the size of a house with teeth nearly as tall as him. Water was churning out in white-capped waves from the monster, making the whole boat rock as its immense form grew taller and taller. Its entire body was covered in shimmering blue-black scales that looked to be as hard and sharp as knives—every inch of the monster was lethal.

Fangs turned with a shout as a tail the size of a tree trunk whipped out of the water on the opposite side of the boat. It was coming right towards him. He dove, landing in a pile of ruined boat parts with a pained groan as the tail began to wrap around the small vessel.

In a moment of stunned silence, Fangs realized that he was going to die.

The woman screamed, a spiky tendril-like fin slamming into her and leaving a harsh, bloody gash down her side. As soon as he saw the flash of red, any thought of giving up flew from Fangs’ mind. He didn’t go this far to save the woman just for them to die in a sea monster attack.

Glancing fervently around the boat, he looked for anything that could be repurposed into a weapon, his pocketknife no more threatening than a sewing needle to the massive beast.

The monster roared again, and Fangs couldn’t help but think it was toying with them. Its tail was winding tighter around the boat, seconds from breaking it clean in half, and then it would have no problem plucking them out of the shipwreck and eating them in one swift bite.

“Here!” the woman shouted, her voice hoarse and raspy as she clutched her still-bleeding side. “Try this.” With whatever strength she had left, the woman heaved a massive chunk of the ruined mast towards Fangs.

It was a thick, heavy piece of wood, the finest Fangs’ father could afford when they built the boat together. Had there not been a murderous sea monster seconds away from killing him, Fangs would have been hurt to see it in its current state of destruction. As it stood, though, the crude, jagged edge where the mast had snapped looked like it might be the best weapon he had.

Fangs hauled the beam into his arms, getting a fear for it. There was no way he could use it as a spear, not when the monster was covered in armor-like scales. It wasn’t  _ that _ heavy, though, and he had always been pretty damn good at the javelin throw.

“This may be the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” Fangs muttered, hurrying to the other end of the boat to get any running start he can.

The woman was watching him with wide-eyed horror, her hands still pressed against her bleeding side. “It’s never going to work,” she cried.

“It’s all we’ve got,” he answered, his resolve deepening. The boat was already cracking beneath them, the monster clearly tiring of playing with its food. He had to hurry. Taking one final look at the woman, he decided that sea monster battle wasn’t the absolute worst way to go, sent up a silent prayer to the old gods, and started running.

Everything moved in slow motion as Fangs sprinted, his feet barely gripping to the slick wooden deck. In a move of pure desperation, he leaped onto the monster’s massive body, crying out as the sharp scales ripped through his thick boots. In one fluid motion, he hurled the makeshift javelin, aiming for the one part of the beast that wasn’t armored—its furious, jet-black eye.

The javelin hit its target, and the monster let out an air-shattering roar. Fangs slid off the beast, his back being ripped to shreds by the scales as he slammed onto the deck near the woman. She grabbed his arm, yanking him away as the beast ripped the boat clear in half.

With the last bit of strength he had left, Fangs wrapped his arms around her, throwing them into the last intact corner of the boat and clinging to it for dear life. The sea rushed toward them as the force of the split sent the boat flying, and the last thing he saw was a wall of water ready to push them under.

* * *

Midge woke with a cough, her lungs burning as she choked out what felt like a gallon of sea water. Her entire body hurt, and she was weak and shaky. She was alive, though—at least, she assumed she was alive. Being dead couldn’t possibly hurt  _ that  _ much.

When her lungs finally started to feel functional again, she pushed herself upright, her fingers closing around handfuls of packed, rocky sand. It was still raining, and she may as well have been naked for all the good her ruined nightgown was doing. The memories came flooding back to her—being kidnapped, the rocks, the chains, the monster, her hero.

Her hero.

She shot upright, blinking away dizziness as she looked around. The beach was covered in the shredded remains of the sailboat, but just a few yards away from her, she saw him. Midge pulled herself to her feet, letting out an agonized groan as the pain in her side seared back to life. She forced herself to move, though, her bare feet numb as she maneuvered around the sharp fragments of wood. When she reached him, she fell to her knees, ignoring the spike of pain as they hit the ground.

He was breathing.

His breath was slow and shallow, but his chest definitely seemed to be moving as she gripped his shoulders, giving him a gentle shake. Like her, he was battered, his clothes stained with blood and his face marked with bruises. Even so, she couldn’t help but notice how remarkably handsome he was—a sharp, chiseled jaw, dark hair, full lips, and a muscular body that even his inexpensive sailing clothes couldn’t hide.

“Wake up,” she said softly, coughing as the words burned her throat. “Please, wake up.”

His dark eyes flew open, and he sat up with a start, nearly knocking her back. “Where—what—how?”

She bit back a soft laugh. “You did it. You saved us.”

His eyes opened wider, and he looked around, taking in the sight of the ruined boat. “I—what? That worked?”

“Apparently.” Relaxing slightly, she slid off her knees to sit down. “I don’t know if you killed it, but it didn’t kill us.” She took his hand in hers, amazed by how warm his skin was. “My hero.”

Those full lips curved into a soft grin, and he squeezed her hand gently. “Well, I couldn’t just leave such a beautiful woman to be eaten by a sea monster.”

She laughed softly, feeling her cheeks heat up. “I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what Cheryl wanted.”

“Cheryl?” His eyebrows furrowed. “As in Cheryl Blossom?”

“Mhm,” she replied. “I’m fairly certain she had me kidnapped and left to die because I’m betrothed to her brother.”

“That’s—” Fangs cut off, shaking his head. “Never mind. I’m not even going to pretend to understand aristocracy.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t lump us all in with those lunatics.” Sighing, she slumped into him, resting her head on his shoulder, a gesture far too intimate seeing as she didn’t even know his name, yet. “I’m Midge, by the way.”

“Fangs,” he replied. “Great to meet you, Midge.”

“Great to meet you too, Fangs.” She relaxed closer into him. “Well, I guess I can’t really go back home now—if the Blossoms think I’m dead, that may be the perfect way to get out of this horrible marriage altogether.”

Fangs smirked, shaking his head. “Well, I would offer to let you come live on my sailboat with me, but as you can see…” He gestured out at the scraps littering the beach.

“Well, then.” She sat up, fixing her gaze on him. “Looks like both of us are in need of a fresh start, and I happen to have just the right amount of secret funds hidden away to buy a respectable sailboat.”

His eyebrows shot up, and he allowed his eyes to drift down her body ever-so-briefly. “Oh, do you now?”

“I do.” She nodded, her lips curving into a grin. “Not to mention, I think I owe you for saving me from being sacrificed to a literal sea monster.”

“I think you do, too.” He smiled wider, climbing to his feet and taking her hands to help her up. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her, being careful to avoid the side where the monster had gotten her. “But I have to say, knowing the world has not lost a face such as yours is really reward enough.”

Her cheeks went hot, and Midge had to bite back an utterly inappropriate response. Instead, she pushed herself up on her tiptoes, leaning in for a kiss. Fangs responded eagerly, holding her tight as his lips pressed into hers. It was dizzying in the best way, and for a moment, Midge forgot about everything other than the feeling of his lips on hers.

Then, there was a loud crack of thunder, and the two of them jumped apart with a start.

“We better get out of here before the storm picks up again,” he said, taking his hand in hers.

She held on tightly. “I couldn’t agree more.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so, so much for reading!! If you enjoyed this, be sure to let me know!


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